Omar Shebahat has found the flexibility he wants in order to see more of America while he is an F1 visa student. He likes being able to login from anywhere for the online portion of the program.
The hybrid program at Computer Systems Institute was the perfect fit for Omar Shebahat. He arrived in the US as an F1 student in March and enrolled in CSI’s Business Career Program – Organizational Administration Concentration program. This hybrid program holds classes twice a week. During the quarter, students are required to do in-person classes, called immersions, at one of the six CSI campuses. The program blends the flexibility of asynchronous online coursework, live virtual sessions, and on-campus residencies. Omar explains a bit how it works, “So we do Zoom meetings and immersion weekends for 3 days,” says Omar.
This format is designed to support the diverse needs of students so that they are able to balance academic, professional, and personal commitments. This is something that was important to Omar. In fact, one of the biggest benefits of the hybrid program for him is that he is able to do a little traveling during the weeks he has online classes. “We have two lectures a week at CSI. They are three and a half hours each so you are in class about 7 hours per week,” says Omar. Between reading, other meetings, and study time he says that the workload is very reasonable, “In total I spend about 20 hours a week which is very good. It gives me a lot of hours to do what I like, such as go on vacations or go to the beach.”
The online classes have allowed Omar to log into Zoom while he is vacationing in other states. He is really enjoying the opportunity to see more of the US while he is here. “Each state in America is amazing! I’m on vacation now in Minnesota. It’s so green here,” he says. When he isn’t traveling, he is based in Chicago where he attends his in person requirements at the downtown campus, “I like downtown Chicago. It’s incredible.”
Although he is enjoying some free time and flexibility, he is still a student who takes his studies very seriously. His experience with American education has been positive. He feels that CSI has been the perfect fit for him, “I like the nature of CSI, the teachers, I have made new friends with other students from many countries. Everything is so great, especially during the immersion weekends,” says Omar.
When asked about any challenges he has had, Omar couldn’t come up with anything, “I haven’t faced any challenges really at CSI. Everything is so well done. The teachers communicate so clearly with the students.” He also likes that the technology was nothing new for him, “They use the same tools that I used in my home country so it was not a big change at all.”
Once he completes his classwork, Omar hopes to do Optional Practical Training or OPT. This program allows international students the opportunity to get real world training at US companies in their field of study. Students need to complete eligibility requirements and apply for the program, but once approved they can start gaining work experience to position themselves for their future careers.
Omar already has a potential career path laid out for him. The business classes he is taking are a compliment to the degree he has from Jordan in civil engineering, “I’ve worked as a designer. After we finish the job, I am able to see what I designed,” he says. His passion for what he does is evident, “It’s incredible to see it in real life at an actual location!” His training at CSI will help him take the next steps in order to further his career, “I met the CEO for the company I worked for at one of the locations. The supervisor and site engineer said that I should be a manager because I have the personality for it.”
He is hoping that OPT will help him get hands on to prepare for that career in management, “I want to get the opportunity to get training in the business field in the United States.” Since he is still fairly early in his program, he is open to any type of company, “I’m done with the first semester. We just started our summer session so I haven’t thought about the situation because I’m only starting my second semester. I will start to think about it in the fall. But I think I’d like to work at a big company,” he says. And since he loves to travel, he adds, “I don’t care where I go. It can be in Chicago, or Texas, or Minnesota. I am happy to go anywhere.”
Even though he may be on a management track, he isn’t opposed to more education, “After I complete my current program I may study something else at CSI. I really like CSI. It’s a great school.”
Despite traveling and sometimes logging on to take his classes from other locations, the in-person immersions have been Omar’s favorite part of the student experience at CSI so far, “During immersion weeks I like meeting the teachers and the students. I’m making new friends.” He also has had the opportunity to get up close and personal as he learns more about the field of business, “At the immersion, I talked to another teacher about marketing. I learned a lot when some experts came and talked to us. They give us great information, advice, and insight about companies we may want to work for in the future.”
When asked what advice he has for new international F1 students who are interested in coming to CSI, he says to pay attention in class. The instructors provide valuable information, “Be focused on the lectures and with the teacher. They are experts. They’ll give you good information about what you want to study whether it’s business administration or marketing or whatever.” He adds that in the hybrid program, the time commitment is reasonable, “It’s just three and a half hours, two times a week. It’s enough to get information about the field from an expert.”
If you are an international student who doesn’t like to be stuck in one place for too long, the hybrid program may allow you the flexibility you want in order to explore! Contact us today to see what CSI can do for you.
